Revive’s recently launched marketing workshops for holistic therapists are now accredited under the AAMT Approved Provider program, allowing AAMT members to earn 20 Continuing Professional Education (CPE) points. The AAMT requires that Massage Therapists and Remedial Massage Therapists accrue a total of 90 and 120 CPE points respectively, over a three-year period, in order to retain their AAMT membership.

“Ultimately the creation and support of quality continuing education courses is AAMT's goal. CPE activities should promote professional goals related to the massage therapy industry in order to increase competency and excellence in the AAMT membership. The CPE approved provider courses should be programs that cannot be obtained from initial or foundational massage therapy courses. They should be characterised by program designs that offer newly emerging concepts, principles, theories and research in massage therapy, bodywork or health care.”

Revive’s 2-day and 5-session workshops are scheduled to run in 2009 in Brisbane, Byron Bay, Cairns, Coffs Harbour, Newcastle, Port Macquarie and Sydney. Throughout my own massage studies in the UK and Australia, I identified a need for therapists to receive specific, thorough and affordable training on how to market their services and position their businesses for success.

I share the AAMT’s goal of increasing competency and excellence in the AAMT membership, and I'm very pleased that our workshops meet the rigorous quality standards of the AAMT National Education Committee.

I'm passionate about supporting holistic practitioners to launch and grow their businesses ethically and profitably, and remain committed to providing high quality, practical programs that teach them how to do this.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

In amongst the growing amount of junk that lands in my inbox, appeared this little gem. It was apparently written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio.

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.. It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone...4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch5. Pay off your credit cards every month.6. You don't have to win every argument.. Agree to disagree.7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.14. If a relationship has to be a secret,you shouldn't be in it.15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.24. The most important sex organ is the brain.25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'27. Always choose life.28. Forgive everyone everything.29. What other people think of you is none of your business.30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.33. Believe in miracles.34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.37. Your children get only one childhood.38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.42. The best is yet to come.43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.44. Yield.45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Thursday, June 11, 2009

I'm pleased to announce The Therapy Exchange, a free online networking community for holistic therapists.

Complementing Revive’s recently launched series of networking events, The Therapy Exchange aims to help therapists connect online and provide a general forum for discussion about industry issues such as business development, marketing and continuing education.

Networking with therapists from various modalities not only helps to generate referrals, but can also provide valuable insights into how other practitioners are attracting and retaining clients.

We envisage that The Therapy Exchange will grow into a valuable resource for therapists, with an ever-growing collection of articles, event listings and resources. We look forward to welcoming holistic therapists from all modalities to our online community.

Founded by writer, Kylie Welsh, Brisbane Women now has over 400 members. 30 women attended Tuesday's event, and after Kylie's introduction, business coach Lisa Murray took the stand.

She asked us "what would it take to make our businesses phenomenal?" She first linked this to having a personal vision - which is more than just a list of goals. Lisa's take was that a vision was about asking the questions "what would satisfy me?" and "what do I need to do to make my heart and soul happy?".

Lisa discussed how our fears of success can hold us from achieving our personal vision, and reminded us of one of Marianne Williamson's beautiful quotes;

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Lisa then called on psychic intuitive, Shauna Teaken, who took us on a quick guided visualisation about our vision for our business. Shauna was about the most down-to-earth psychic intuitive I've ever met, and had us in stitches.

It was then time to write down our vision and break into groups of three to brainstorm it further. I teamed up with two fascinating women, Nirala Jacobi, a naturopathic physician, and Susan Living, director of the Clean Living Clinic. It was probably not coincidental that we all seemed to share a common interest in raising the awareness of holistic therapies, and helping therapists across all modalities to achieve this. How quickly that 15 minutes went! It felt like we only just touched the tip of the iceberg in terms of the possibilities for working towards a common objective.

Lisa then conducted a general question and answer session, the main focus of which turned to making money. Several of the women spoke of their reluctance to charge a full and fair fee for their services. We concluded that if we didn't value our own services, our potential clients would not do so either.

It was then time for a speed networking session, where we had about two minutes to chat to more women in the room, explain what we did and exchange cards. Phew! Exhausting but interesting stuff. There's so many interesting women in Brisbane carving out niche businesses for themselves - and everyone seemed willing to support each other where they could.

The Brisbane Women networking event was really worthwhile, and allows women to continue to network in an online community at http://brisbanewoman.ning.com/. On this site, users can create profiles and list any upcoming events or workshops, and simply connect with other inspiring, entrepreneurial business women in Brisbane.

I'm very much looking forward to the next Brisbane Woman event on 7 July!

About me: Melanie Surplice

Hi! This is my old blog. Please head on over to Surplice of Spirit to see the new improved version, and to check out my gift shop for lovers of cards, crystals and all things mystical

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Hi! I'm the managing director of Revive Holistic Marketing. My vision is to help holistic therapists grow successful businesses; while raising the awareness of the benefits of holistic therapies in the broader community.

As a qualified holistic massage therapist, and a long-time believer in personal development, I'm fascinated by the human body and mind. We all spend much of our lives pursuing happiness, in whatever form that takes on our individual journeys.

Over the last 20 years I have read a lot of the success literature, and explored many aspects of personal development, the spiritual realm, and most recently, a broad range of complementary therapies.

I intend to use this site to pool together resources that I've found useful along the way. I hope you find it useful too, and welcome your suggestions. We're all in this thing called "life" together!

Please feel free to contact me by email with any comments or suggestions.

“Let your mind start a journey thru a strange new world. Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before. Let your soul take you where you long to be...Close your eyes let your spirit start to soar, and you'll live as you've never lived before.” - Erich Fromm

Makes Me Smile!

Inspirational Places

More Natural Delights

Inspiration Corner

Success is the good fortune that comes from aspiration, desperation, perspiration and inspiration. - Evan Esar

Change and growth take place when a person has risked himself and dares to become involved with experimenting with his own life. - Herbert Otto

The talent of success is nothing more than doing what you can do, well. - Henry W. Longfellow

The first step in the acquisition of wisdom is silence, the second listening, the third memory, the fourth practice, the fifth teaching others. - Solomon Ibn Gabriol

Insist on yourself. Never imitate. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

It was a high counsel that I once heard given to a young person, "Always do what you are afraid to do." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Invitation

It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love for your dream for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon... I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow if you have been opened by life’s betrayals or have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain mine or your own without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy mine or your own if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful be realistic remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself. If you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul. If you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty even when it is not pretty every day. And if you can source your own life from its presence. I want to know if you can live with failure yours and mine and still stand at the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, “Yes.”

It doesn’t interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair weary and bruised to the bone and do what needs to be done to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the centre of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away. I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments. - Oriah Mountain Dreamer

From "A Return to Love"

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” - Marianne Williamson

Contact Me

Feel free to post any comments or questions on the blog, or you can email me at melanie _ surplice @ hotmail . com. (Remove the spaces in the email address!).